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novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
"A new novel that Richard B. Wright’s Clara Callan fans will adore, October effortlessly weaves a haunting coming-of-age story set in World War II Quebec with a contemporary portrait of a man still searching for answers in the autumn of his life.
In England to see his daughter, Susan, who is gravely ill, James Hillyer, a retired professor of Victorian literature, encounters by chance a man he once knew as a boy. Gabriel Fontaine, a rich and attractive American he met one summer during the war, when he was sent on a holiday to the Gaspé, is a mercurial figure, badly crippled by polio. A s an adolescent, James was both attracted to and repelled by Gabriel’s cocksure attitude and charm. He also fell hopelessly in love with Odette, a French- Canadian girl from the village, only to find himself in competition with the careless Gabriel. Now, at this random meeting over six decades later—as he struggles with the terrible possibility that he could outlive his own daughter—James is asked by Gabriel to accompany him on a final, unthinkable journey. A t last, James begins to see that all beginnings and endings are inexorably linked." (From Amazon)
Reminds me of a novel from the late 1800s and early 1900s - like a classic novel. A bit like [b:A Single Man|16842|A Single Man|Christopher Isherwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1380688373s/16842.jpg|1802690] but a better version.
"A new novel that Richard B. Wright’s Clara Callan fans will adore, October effortlessly weaves a haunting coming-of-age story set in World War II Quebec with a contemporary portrait of a man still searching for answers in the autumn of his life.
In England to see his daughter, Susan, who is gravely ill, James Hillyer, a retired professor of Victorian literature, encounters by chance a man he once knew as a boy. Gabriel Fontaine, a rich and attractive American he met one summer during the war, when he was sent on a holiday to the Gaspé, is a mercurial figure, badly crippled by polio. A s an adolescent, James was both attracted to and repelled by Gabriel’s cocksure attitude and charm. He also fell hopelessly in love with Odette, a French- Canadian girl from the village, only to find himself in competition with the careless Gabriel. Now, at this random meeting over six decades later—as he struggles with the terrible possibility that he could outlive his own daughter—James is asked by Gabriel to accompany him on a final, unthinkable journey. A t last, James begins to see that all beginnings and endings are inexorably linked." (From Amazon)
Reminds me of a novel from the late 1800s and early 1900s - like a classic novel. A bit like [b:A Single Man|16842|A Single Man|Christopher Isherwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1380688373s/16842.jpg|1802690] but a better version.
onbus_intrain's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Reading this book is like sitting on a small boat looking back at the steady flow of the river. Nostalgic, reflective and quiet. Lots of things happened in the book, but the narration makes it seems slow and matter-of-factly in a way. Birth, death, people meet and wave goodbye, all is random and coincidental. The feeling of helplessness in everything that happened haunts the narrator and me, in the gentlest way.
lilliangretsinger's review against another edition
3.0
I was quite surprised by this book. It was very engaging and beautifully written. I know the point of the book is to leave some of the threads unanswered, but dammit, I want to know what happens to some of those characters!
mactammonty's review against another edition
3.0
He covers so much territory in this novel with such ease. It was a nice read on a quiet restful day.
skyreader's review against another edition
2.0
Twittreview: Wordy, but predictable, slow & thin on the plot. Cancer story without survivors.
bookthia's review
4.0
Wright has reconfirmed his standing as one of Canada's most talented writers. October is thoughtful and poignant. As the book winds its way through James' past and present it makes you reconsider your own life's ages and stages. Wright examines death without morbidity, and memories without sentimentality. October is a beautiful examination of one man's life, using both hindsight and foresight to explore his deepest soul.
canadianbookworm's review
4.0
James Hillyer is a retired professor of Victorian literature, living on his own in Toronto. His wife died of cancer some years ago, and his daughter Susan has just been diagnosed with a similar disease. Susan is headmistress of a boarding school in England, a job she has aspired to all her working life. James visits her to touch base following news of her illness, and afterwards in London he meets a man he hasn't seen in sixty years.
Back in 1944, James spent a summer in rural Quebec with his uncle and spent some of his days with a young American Gabriel Fontaine who was a victim of polio. It is Gabriel that he meets again in London and who requests James to go with him on a trip.
The story goes back and forth between the present and the summer of 1944, and causes James to look at his own character and attitudes both past and present as well as those of others. There is also a theme of illness and mortality running through the novel that provides a key element to the story.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly.
Back in 1944, James spent a summer in rural Quebec with his uncle and spent some of his days with a young American Gabriel Fontaine who was a victim of polio. It is Gabriel that he meets again in London and who requests James to go with him on a trip.
The story goes back and forth between the present and the summer of 1944, and causes James to look at his own character and attitudes both past and present as well as those of others. There is also a theme of illness and mortality running through the novel that provides a key element to the story.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly.
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